Neuronal progenitor cells and uses thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an isolated cellular composition comprising greater than about 90% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronal progenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which can give rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells. Also provided are methods of treating neuronal disorders utilizing this cellular composition.

This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit of,application Ser. No. 08/499,093, filed Jul. 6, 1995 now U.S. Pat. No.5,753,505.

This invention was made with government support under NIH grant numberNS 28380 awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The governmenthas certain rights in the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an isolated cellular compositioncomprising a substantially homogeneous population of mammalian neuronalprogenitor cells. Additionally, the present invention relates to methodsof delivering biologically active molecules to a mammalian brain bytransplanting the cellular composition to the brain.

2. Background Art

Because mammalian neurons are generally incapable of dividing whenmature, sources of dividing neuronal cells have been sought. Severaldifficulties have arisen, however, in identifying sources of dividingcells that generate neurons because neuronal progenitor cells frequentlyfail to express neuronal markers and because heterogeneous populationsof cells (including neuronal and non-neuronal cells) generally arise.

Neoplastic cell lines and immortalized neuronal precursors have beenused to provide relatively homogeneous populations of cells. Becausethese cells are rapidly dividing, they generally show a limited abilityto fully differentiate into cells with a neuronal phenotype. Forexample, PC12 cells derived from a pheochromocytoma fail todifferentiate or maintain a differentiated state in culture in theabsence of nerve growth factor (NGF). (Green and Tischler, Advances inCellular Neurobiology, S. Federoff and L. Hertz, eds. (Academic Press,N.Y.), (1982). Additionally, these cells are tumor-derived and haveneoplastic characteristics.

Similarly, embryonal carcinoma cell lines have been differentiated inculture under special conditions. NT2 cells, derived from ateratocarcinoma, will differentiate in culture only following extendedtreatment with retinoic acid. The NT2 cells, however, differentiate intoboth neuronal and non-neuronal cell types. The resulting mixed culturemust be treated with mitotic inhibitors and then the cells replated toremove the dividing non-neuronal cells and approach a relatively purepopulation of neuronal cells. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,103). Theserelatively pure neuronal cells nonetheless are tumor-derived and haveneoplastic characteristics.

Sources of neuronal precursors from adult and neonatal mammalian nervoussystems have generally resulted in similar problems with heterogeneity.Reynolds and Weiss, Science 255:1707 (1992), have cultured cells fromthe adult striatum, presumably including portions of the subventricularzone. The cells were cultured in the presence of epidermal growth factor(EGF) and allowed to form large cell clusters, which were termed“neurospheres.” The spheres were then dissociated and the cells werecultured in the presence of EGF. The resulting cell cultures consistedof a mixture of post-mitotic neurons, glia, and subependymal cells.Thus, by these means, some of the newly-generated cells were induced todifferentiate into neurons; however, the proportion of neurons obtainedis low by this method. Others have been able to induce some neuronalproliferation from cultures of the neonatal telencephalon, byadministration of fibroblast growth factor. Like the method of Reynoldsand Weiss, this neonatal source also results in low proportions ofneurons compared to non-neuronal cells. Relatively pure populations ofneuronal cells can be achieved by these methods only following treatmentwith mitotic inhibitors. Therefore, the relatively pure neuronal cellsare post-mitotic.

The subventricular zone is known to be a source of certain dividingcells in the nervous system. However, the subventricular zone has beenviewed exclusively as a source of glia and not neurons (Paterson et al.,J Comp. Neurol., 149:83, 1973; LeVine and Goldman, J Neurosci, 8:3992,1988; Levison and Goldman, Neuron 10:201 (1993). This was the consensusconcerning the intact, in vivo subventricular zone. Luskin, Neuron,11:173 (1993) found that a discrete region of the intact subventricularzone produced numerous neurons that differentiated into olfactory bulbneurons in vivo. However, investigators who have cultured cells derivedfrom the neonatal subventricular zone have shown that the vast majorityof these cells become glia when cultured (Vaysse and Goldman, Neuron,4:833, 1990; Lubetzki et al., Glia, 6:289, 1992). Lois andAlvarez-Buylla, Proc. Natl. Acad Sci., 90:2074, (1993) cultured explantsof the subventricular zone from adult mammalian forebrain, and found apreponderance of glia.

Thus, a simple means of obtaining a composition of cells having a highpercentage of neuronal progenitor cells and a correspondingly lowpercentage of non-neuronal cells is needed. Such a composition andmethod for achieving the composition would offer several advantages overprior compositions and methods. Dividing cells can be manipulatedthrough gene transfer. In addition, neuronal cells which differentiateand eventually cease dividing result in a decreased likelihood of tumorformation when transplanted into a host nervous system. Glia, incontrast to neurons, can be highly proliferative when given certainsignals and can even form gliomas. Neoplastic cell lines can similarlyresult in tumor formation.

In contrast to the above-described studies which support that only gliaarose from the cultured telencephalic subventricular zone or that only alow fraction of neurons could be obtained under particularly favorableconditions, the present invention provides an isolated cellularcomposition comprised of a substantially homogeneous population ofmammalian, non tumor-derived neuronal progenitor cells which express aneuron-specific marker and which can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells. This ability of these cells to divideis atypical because most cells expressing neuron-specific cell markersare post-mitotic cells. Also, the present composition comprises apopulation of cells of such homogeneity that greater than about 90% ofthe neuronal progenitor cells express a neuron-specific marker and cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an isolated cellular compositioncomprising greater than about 90% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells.

The instant invention additionally provides a method of delivering abiologically active molecule produced by the neuronal progenitor cells,or their progeny, or mixtures thereof, of a cellular compositioncomprising greater than about 90% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells to aregion of a mammalian brain, comprising transplanting the cellularcomposition into the region of the brain, thereby delivering abiologically active molecule produced by the cells or their progeny tothe region.

Additionally, the present invention provides a method of delivering abiologically active molecule produced by the neuronal progenitor cells,or their progeny, or mixtures thereof, of a cellular compositioncomprising greater than about 90% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells andwhich are transfected with an exogenous nucleic acid that functionallyencodes a biologically active molecule to a region of a mammalian braincomprising transplanting the cellular composition into the region of thebrain, thereby delivering the biologically active molecule produced bythe cells or their progeny to the region.

The present invention further provides a method of treating a neuronaldisorder characterized by a reduction of catecholamines in the brain ofa mammal, comprising transplanting into the brain a cellular compositioncomprising greater than about 90% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells, ortheir progeny, or mixtures thereof, thereby providing a source ofcatecholamines to the brain and treating the disorder.

Also provided by the present invention is a method of treatingAlzheimer's disease in a subject comprising transplanting into the brainof the subject a cellular composition comprising greater than about 90%mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronal progenitor cells which express aneuron-specific marker and which can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells and which are transfected with anexogenous nucleic acid that functionally encodes a biologically activemolecule that stimulates cell division or differentiation or thatfunctions in the synthesis of a neurotransmitter, or their progeny, ormixtures thereof, thereby treating Alzheimer's disease.

The present invention additionally provides a method of treating aneuronal disorder characterized by a reduction of γ-aminobutyric acid inthe brain in a mammal, comprising transplanting into the brain acellular composition comprising greater than about 90% mammalian, nontumor-derived, neuronal progenitor cells which express a neuron-specificmarker and which can give rise to progeny which can differentiate intoneuronal cells, or their progeny, or mixtures thereof, thereby providinga source of γ-aminobutyric acid to the brain and treating the disorder.

Also provided by the present invention is a method of screening for amarker of neuronal cells comprising obtaining the neuronal progenitorcells of a cellular composition comprising greater than about 90%mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronal progenitor cells which express aneuron-specific marker and which can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells, and detecting the presence of amarker in the neuronal progenitor cells that is not present innon-neuronal cells, the marker present in the neuronal progenitor cellsthat is not present in the non-neuronal cells being a marker of neuronalcells.

The present invention also provides a method of detecting a neuronallyexpressed gene comprising obtaining a cDNA library from the neuronalprogenitor cells of a cellular composition comprising greater than about90% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronal progenitor cells whichexpress a neuron-specific marker and which can give rise to progenywhich can differentiate into neuronal cells, obtaining a cDNA libraryfrom a non-neuronal cell, determining the presence at higher levels of acDNA in the library from the neuronal progenitor cells than in thenon-neuronal cell, the presence at higher levels of a cDNA in thelibrary from the neuronal progenitor cells indicating a neuronallyexpressed gene.

The present invention further provides a method of obtaining an isolatedcellular composition comprising greater than about 90% mammalian, nontumor-derived, neuronal progenitor cells which express a neuronal markerand which can give rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronalcells, comprising isolating cells from the portion of a mammalian brainthat is the equivalent of the anterior portion of the subventricularzone at the dorsolateral portion of the anterior-most extent of theregion surrounding the ventricle of a neonatal rat brain and culturingthe isolated cells in the absence of mitotic inhibitors.

The instant invention also provides an isolated cellular compositioncomprising greater than about 50% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which giverise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the homotopic transplantation procedure. (A) shows theSVZa, situated between the antero-lateral portion of the lateralventricle and the overlying corpus callosum, microdissected from asagittally sectioned neonatal (P0-P2) forebrain. (B) shows pieces oftissue containing the neuronal progenitor cells of the SVZa which werecollected together, trypsinized, washed and mechanically dissociated bytrituration into single cells or small clumps. (C) shows the cellsuspension which was carefully washed, evaluated for viability, thenlabeled by the fluorescent, lipophilic dye PKH26 or BrdU to ensure theunequivocal identification of transplanted SVZa cells in the host brain.(D) shows the dissociated, PKH26 labeled SVZa cells stereotaxicallyplaced into the SVZa of a host brain.

FIG. 2 shows the heterotopic transplantation procedure for transplantingP0-P2 SVZa neuronal progenitor cells into the neonatal striatum. (A)shows a representative drawing of a parasagittal section of the neonatalrat forebrain showing the location of the SVZa (black area). The SVZawas microdissected from the P0-P2 rat forebrain using a microknife (B)shows the individual tissue pieces collected in an Eppendorf tube anddissociated using fire polished Pasteur pipettes to obtain a single cellsuspension of SVZa cells. (C) shows the SVZa cell suspension labeledwith PKH26, a lipophilic red fluorescent dye. (To label the SVZa cellswith the cell proliferation marker, BrdU, P0-P2 pups were injectedintraperitoneally with BrdU. A day later the SVZa was dissected anddissociated into a cell suspension). (D) shows the labeled SVZa cellsuspension stereotaxically implanted into the striatum (ST) at P0-P2.CC, corpus callosum; CTX, cerebral cortex; D, dorsal; LV, lateralventricle; OB, olfactory bulb; P, posterior. Scale bar in (A)=2 mm andalso applies to (D).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to thefollowing detailed description of specific embodiments and the Examplesincluded therein.

The present invention provides an isolated cellular compositioncomprising greater than about 90% mammalian, non tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells.Preferably at least about 95%, and more preferably greater than about98%, of the composition is mammalian, non-tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells. By“isolated,” as used in the claims, is meant removed from the mammalianbrain. As described herein, a region of the anterior subventricular zone(SVZa) isolated from a mammalian brain is shown herein to provide acellular composition of greater than about 90% neuronal progenitor cellswhich express a neuron-specific marker and which can give rise toprogeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells. Compositions canalso be obtained having, for example, about 50, 60, 70, 80 or 85%neuronal progenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker andwhich can give rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronalcells. Preferably, greater than about 95%, or even more preferably,greater than about 98%, of the cells in the composition are neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells.Particularly at the time of isolation, about 98 to 100% of the cells inthe composition can be neuronal progenitor cells which express aneuron-specific marker and which can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells. Thus, the invention provides asubstantially homogeneous composition of neuronal progenitor cells.

As used herein, “neuronal cells” or “neurons” includes cells which arepost-mitotic and which express one or more neuron-specific markers.Examples of such markers can include but are not limited toneurofilament, microtubule-associated protein-2, and tau, and preferablyneuron-specific Class III β-tubulin and new N. As used herein “neuronalprogenitor cells” are cells which can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells, but, unlike neuronal cells, arecapable of cell division in vivo or in vitro, and which also, likepost-mitotic neurons, express a neuron-specific marker.

In these compositions, preferably only about 10%, or more preferablyabout 5%, or even more preferably about 2%, or fewer of the cells in thecomposition are non-neuronal cells. Non-neuronal cells include cellswhich express a glia-specific marker, such as glial fibrillary acidicprotein (GFAP), or which do not express any neuron-specific markers.Non-neuronal cells can include but are not limited to glial cells,subependymal cells, and fibroblasts and do not include neuronalprogenitor cells.

As used herein, the “progeny” of a cell can include any subsequentgeneration of the cell. Thus, the progeny of a neuronal progenitor cellcan include, for example, a later generation neuronal progenitor cell, alater generation cell that has undergone differentiation, or a fullydifferentiated, post-mitotic neuronal cell.

It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The present invention provides a cellular composition comprisingmammalian, non-tumor derived cells which express a neuron-specificmarker and which can divide. The cellular composition can be isolatedfrom the region corresponding to the anterior portion of thesubventricular zone (termed “SVZa” interchangeably herein) region of ratbrain as described further herein and exemplified in the Examples below.The substantially homogeneous composition can be obtained in the absenceof treatment with mitotic inhibitors. In addition, the ability of thecells to divide can be achieved in the absence of immortalizationtechniques. The neuronal progenitor cells can, without being firstimmortalized, divide for at least two generations. At least about two,preferably at least about five, and more preferably at least about tenor more generations of dividing neurons can result when the isolatedcells are placed in standard culture conditions as exemplified in theExamples below.

Additionally, the cells of the substantially homogeneous composition ofneuronal progenitor cells can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells. By use of this composition,therefore, one can obtain, in the absence of mitotic inhibitors, acomposition comprising greater than 90%, and preferably greater than95%, and more preferably greater than 98%, of any of the followingcells: neuronal progenitor cells, progeny of neuronal progenitor cellsand neuronal cells.

The cells comprising the herein described composition can be isolatedfrom the SVZa of the brain of any mammal of interest. For example, cellscan be obtained from mouse, rat, monkey and human. Preferred sources canbe postnatal rat and mouse and prenatal monkey and human brain, thoughmany other sources will be apparent to the practitioner. The SVZa in ratis the dorsolateral portion of the anterior-most extent of thesubventricular zone surrounding the ventricles. It is anterior anddorsal to the striatum. It is whiter and more opaque than the overlyingcorpus callosum, presumably because of the density of cells in theregion. Additionally because of the cell density, the region appearsmore dense and uneven. In other mammals such as human, monkey and mouse,the corresponding region can be located by both this location within thebrain and by these physical characteristics.

The present invention provides a cellular composition wherein at least aportion of the cells are transfected by a selected nucleic acid. Thecells can be transfected with an exogenous nucleic acid as exemplifiedin the Examples below. “Exogenous” can include any nucleic acid notoriginally found in the cell, including a modified nucleic acidoriginally endogenous to the cell prior to modification. By“transfected” is meant to include any means by which the nucleic acidcan be transferred, such as by infection, transformation, transfection,electroporation, microinjection, calcium chloride precipitation orliposome-mediated transfer. These transfer methods are, in general,standard in the art (see, e.g., Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: ALaboratory Manual, 2nd Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold SpringHarbor, N.Y. (1989)). Preferably at least about 3%, more preferablyabout 10%, more preferably about 20%, more preferably about 30%, morepreferably about 50%, and even more preferably about 75% of the cells,at least initially after transfection, are transfected. To increase thepercentage of transfected cells, multiple transfections can beperformed. For example, one can infect cells with a vector of choice,remove the media after infection, reinfect, etc. and repeat the processto achieve the desired percentage of infected cells. Some viruses, forexample, can be viable for about two hours at a 37° C. incubationtemperature; therefore, the infection can preferably be repeated everycouple of hours to achieve higher percentages of transfected cells.Other methods of increasing transfected cell number are known andstandard in the art.

Any selected nucleic acid can be transferred into the cells. Forexample, a nucleic acid that functionally encodes a biologically activemolecule can be transfected into the cells. Preferable nucleic acids caninclude, for example, nucleic acids that encode a biologically activemolecule that stimulates cell division or differentiation such as, forexample, growth factors, e.g., nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derivedneurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin (NT)-3 and NT4/5, ciliaryneurotrophic factor (CNTF), and factors that block growth inhibitors..Additionally, preferable nucleic acids can include nucleic acids thatencode a biologically active molecule that functions in the synthesis ofa neurotransmitter, such as tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and glutamic aciddecarboxylase (GAD). The nucleic acid can be in any vector of choice,such as a plasmid or a viral vector, and the method of transfer into thecell can be chosen accordingly. As known in the art, nucleic acids canbe modified for particular expression, such as by using a particularcell- or tissue-specific promoter, by using a promoter that can bereadily induced, or by selecting a particularly strong promoter, ifdesired.

The present invention also provides methods for isolating the cellularcompositions. Thus, methods are provided for isolating a substantiallyhomogeneous composition in the absence of special culture conditions ortreatment with mitotic inhibitors and for transfecting at least aportion of the neuronal progenitor cells or their progeny with exogenousDNA. Specifically, the present invention provides a method of obtainingan isolated cellular composition wherein greater than about 90%, andpreferably greater than about 95%, and even more preferably greater thanabout 98%, of the cells of the composition are non-tumor-derived,neuronal progenitor cells which express a neuronal marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells,comprising isolating cells from the anterior portion of thesubventricular zone (SVZa) of a mammalian brain and culturing the cellsin the absence of mitotic inhibitors. As discussed above, sources ofsuch cells can preferably be postnatal rat or mouse and prenatal monkeyor human brain. The cells are isolated from the SVZa of the selectedmammal, as described herein and exemplified in the Examples. The SVZa islocated by both its location, as described and exemplified herein, andits physical characteristics, as described and exemplified herein. Thecells can then be cultured in the absence of mitotic inhibitors. Thus,the cellular composition, as isolated, can be substantially devoid(i.e., comprises less than 10%, preferably less than 5%, more preferablyless than 2%) of glial and other non-neuronal cells, and thus cultureconditions designed to eliminate non-neuronal cells from thecompositions can often be omitted. Therefore, the cultured cells are notsubjected, for example, to mitotic inhibitors. However, if desired,mitotic inhibitors an be utilized. Additionally, the isolated cells canbe transfected with an exogenous nucleic acid so that at least a portionof the population is transfected. Furthermore, the cells of the isolatedcellular composition can be immortalized by standard methods, such astransformation, to create a cell line (see, e.g., Gage, F. H. et al.,Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 18:159 (1995)).

The present invention also provides methods for delivering biologicallyactive molecules produced by the neuronal progenitor cells of thecomposition or their progeny into a region of the brain by transplantionof the cellular composition. Specifically, the present inventionprovides a method of delivering a biologically active molecule producedby the neuronal progenitor cells of the composition or their progeny ormixtures thereof described above (which composition comprises anisolated cellular composition of mammalian, non-tumor-derived, neuronalprogenitor cells of which greater than about 90%, preferably greaterthan about 95%, and preferably greater than about 98%, express aneuron-specific marker and can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells) to a region of a mammalian braincomprising transplanting the cellular composition into the region of thebrain, thereby delivering a biologically active molecule produced in thecells to the region. The neuronal progenitor cells of the composition ortheir progeny or mixtures thereof can be transplanted to a host brain,either without being previously cultured or following culture. Culturingcan preferably be performed according to standard conditions forneuronal cells or in defined medium with growth factors, as exemplifiedherein and known in the art. Cells can be cultured for any desirablelength of time. For example, cells can be cultured for several days,which can expand the number of cells. For example, the neuronalprogenitor cells can be allowed to divide at least once, more preferablytwice, five times or ten times or more prior to transplant.Additionally, the cells transplanted prior to differentiation can dividein vivo after transplantation. Furthermore, cells for transplantationcan be transfected with an exogenous nucleic acid, and the cells canundergo several rounds of transfection with an exogenous nucleic acidprior to transplantation.

Transplantation can be performed for the purpose of delivering to thehost brain biologically active molecules normally produced by thetransplanted cells (i.e., endogenously-encoded products) or for thepurpose of delivering to the host brain biologically active moleculesresulting from exogenously introduced DNA in transfected cells that arethen transplanted. The term “biologically active molecules,” asdescribed also above, includes but is not limited to synthetic enzymes,neurotransmitters, putative neurotransmitters, neurotrophic factors, andfactors that can block inhibitors of cell division and/ordifferentiation.

Transplanting, as known in the art, can be, for example, a stereotaxicinjection of a cell suspension, and this injection can be into either ahomotopic or heterotopic brain region. Transplantation can be performedas exemplified in the Examples herein. (Dunnett, S. B. and Björklund,A., eds., Transplantation: Neural Transplantation—A Practical Approach,Oxford University Press, Oxford (1992)) Cells, for example, can besuspended in a buffer solution, or alternatively whole tissue comprisingthe cellular composition, can be transplanted. Dissociated cellsuspensions can maximize cell dispersion and vascularization of thegraft. Poor vascularization is a significant factor in poor graftsurvival. Cells can be labeled prior to transplant, if desired. Multipletransplants can be performed, depending upon the number of transplantedcells desired to be transplanted and the area of the target region thatreceives the transplanted cells. Transplanted cells can preferablydivide in vivo after transplantation for a limited number ofgenerations, to create a larger region of neuronal progenitor cells andlarger numbers of the cells without generating tumor formation.Additionally, transplanted cells can preferably migrate or spread outsomewhat within the brain and thus create a larger region receivingthese cells. Furthermore, transplanted cells can preferably eventuallydifferentiate into mature neurons.

The present invention provides a method of treating a variety ofneuronal disorders or diseases which the provision of a biologicallyactive molecule can treat. By “treating” is meant causing an improvementin any manifestation of the specific disorder or disease. The disordersinclude but are not limited to disorders characterized by a reduction ofcatecholamines (such as Parkinson's Disease), by a reduction of GABA(such as certain forms of epilepsy and Huntington's Disease), or byneurodegenerative conditions (such as Alzheimer's Disease). To treat thespecific disorder/disease, transfected or non-transfected cells of thecompositions or their progeny or mixtures thereof can be transplantedinto the host brain wherein the host brain demonstrates the neuronaldisorder. The transplantation provides to the brain biologically activemolecules produced by the transplanted cells, whether the molecules areendogenous to the transplanted neuronal progenitor cells or theirprogeny or whether a nucleic acid encoding the molecules weretransfected into the transplanted neuronal progenitor cells or theirprogeny prior to transplantation. Additionally, for example, the cellscan be treated prior to transplantation in a manner to cause increasedproduction of the biologically active molecule. Alternatively the cellscan be used as a source of the appropriate growth factors to treat thedisease. Relatedly, the cells can be used to screen for novel growthfactors which in turn could be screened for therapeutic potential.

Therefore, in one embodiment, cells can be selected for transplantationthat will provide a specific biologically active molecule that willtreat the specific disease of the subject. For example, for a subjecthaving a disorder characterized by a reduction of catecholamines (suchas Parkinson's Disease (PD)), the substantially homogeneous compositioncomprising isolated neuronal progenitor cells or their progeny, ormixtures thereof, as described above, can be transplanted, for example,for PD, into the region of the striatum. The transplanted cells need nothave an exogenous nucleic acid transfected into them, as at least aportion of the cells can produce catecholamines, particularly dopamine.However, if desired, the cells can be transfected with an exogenousnucleic acid prior to transplantation. For example, recombinant nucleicacids encoding enzymes that produce higher than normal levels of thedesired biologically active molecule can be utilized, if desired. Otherdesirable manipulation of the cells will be apparent to thepractitioner, in light of the teachings herein.

Another example is treatment of a subject having a disordercharacterized by a reduction of GABA, such as certain forms of epilepsy(Merritt's Textbook of Neurology, 9th ed. (L. P. Rowland, ed. Williamsand Wilkins, Baltimore, 1995)), and Huntington's Disease (HD)) (Martin,J. B. & Gusella, J. F. Huntington's Disease:Pathogenesis and Management,New Eng. J. Med. 315:1267-1276 (1986)). These subjects can be treated bytransplanting into the brain (e.g., into regions such as the cerebralcortex and striatum) cells of the composition or their progeny ormixture thereof as described herein. These cells need not have anexogenous nucleic acid transfected into them, since at least a portionof the cells can produce GABA. However, if desired, the cells can betransfected with an exogenous nucleic acid. For example, recombinantnucleic acids encoding enzymes that produce higher than normal levels ofthe product can be utilized, if desired. Other desirable manipulation ofthe cells will be apparent to the practitioner, in light of theteachings herein. The cells can be transplanted, for example, intoregions such as the hippocampus and/or the cerebral cortex, forepilepsy, and the striatum, for Huntington's Disease.

Another example for treatment is neurodegenerative conditions, forexample, Alzheimer's Disease. (R. D. Terry, R. Katzman and K. L. Bick,Alzheimer's Disease, Raven Press, NY (1994)). A cellular composition asdescribed herein comprising cells into which has been transfected, forexample, a nucleic acid encoding a biologically active molecule thatstimulates cell division or differentiation (such as growth factorse.g., nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF), neurotrophin (NT)-3 and NT-4/5 and ciliary NTF, or factors thatblock growth inhibitors), so as to decrease the amount of degeneration,can be transplanted into the brain of the subject (e.g., into regionssuch as basal forebrain, hippocampus, and/or cerebral cortex). Otherdesirable manipulation of the cells will be apparent to thepractitioner, in light of the teachings herein. The cells can also beused in conjunction with various growth factors for optimal therapeuticeffect. Relatedly the cells can be administered with various growthfactors to screen factors for therapeutic value in animal models.

The present invention also provides a method of screening for markers ofneuronal cells. Specifically, the present invention provides a method ofscreening for a marker of neuronal cells comprising obtaining thecellular composition described herein (which composition comprisesgreater than about 90% or 95% neuronal progenitor cells which express aneuron-specific marker and which can give rise to progeny which candifferentiate into neuronal cells), obtaining non-neuronal cells orinformation concerning the markers of those cells, and detecting thepresence of a marker in the cellular composition that is not present innon-neuronal cells, the marker present in the cellular composition thatis not present in the non-neuronal cells being a marker of neuronalcells. Thus, markers of the cellular composition can be compared tomarkers of non-neuronal cells to identify markers present in neurons,exclusively or in greater proportions. The neuron-specific markers canbe useful in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for neuronaldiseases.

Additionally, the present invention provides a method of detecting aneuronally expressed gene comprising obtaining a cDNA library from theherein described cellular composition (which composition comprisesgreater than about 90%, preferably greater than about 95%, and morepreferably greater than about 98%, mammalian, non-tumor-derived neuronalprogenitor cells which express a neuron-specific marker and which cangive rise to progeny which can differentiate into neuronal cells),obtaining a cDNA library from a non-neuronal cell, determining thepresence at higher levels of a cDNA in the library from the cellularcomposition than in the non-neuronal cell, the presence at higher levelsof a cDNA in the library from the cellular composition indicating aneuronally expressed gene. Thus, cDNA libraries derived from theneuronal composition can be compared to a cDNA library from non-neuronalcells to identify genes expressed exclusively or in greater proportionsin neuronal cells. Methods of performing such comparative screenings areknown in the art, and thus can be readily performed by the artisan giventhe teachings herein. The neuron-specific markers could be useful indiagnostic and therapeutic techniques for neuronal diseases.

Utility of the Invention

Because mammalian neurons are generally incapable of dividing whenmature, sources of dividing neuronal cells have been sought. The presentinvention provides a source of such dividing cells. These cellsadditionally demonstrate characteristics of neuronal cells. Therefore,the cellular composition provides a useful composition for, for example,transplanting healthy cells having a neuronal phenotype into subjectswhose neurons are degenerating or are not producing normal cellularmolecules. The transplanted cells can then provide the deficientmolecule(s) to the brain. For example, the present composition can beparticularly useful for treating Parkinson's disease (PD), which ischaracterized by a reduction in catecholamines, by transplanting theinventive cellular composition into the brains of subjects having PD.The transplanted cells can then provide catecholamines to the brain.Another example in which the present composition can be useful is intreating Huntington's Disease or in forms of epilepsy characterized by areduction in GABA, because these cells can provide GABA to a brain intowhich they are transplanted. Furthermore, the composition can be usefulin providing the desired product of any nucleic acid into the centralnervous system. Any desired nucleic acid can be transfected into theneuronal progenitor cells of the composition and transplanted into thecentral nervous system. An example of a disease that can be treated bysuch a method is Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cells having a nucleic acidencoding, for example, a growth factor or a neurotrophic factor, can beinjected into the brains of AD patients to decrease or preventdegeneration in the brain.

The present compositions additionally can be used to screen for markersof neuronal cells and can be used to further characterize and identifynew neuronal cells. The markers can be used for example to detect ortreat disease conditions or to identify the anterior portion of thesubventricular zone in mammals. Such cells can also be utilized toscreen for compounds that affect neuronal cells, either positively oradversely. In this manner, compounds (e.g. novel growth factors) fortreating neuronal disorders can be screened, and compounds harmful toneurons can be determined. Many other uses in diagnosis and treatment ofneuronal diseases will be apparent to the artisan. The invention can beutilized in therapeutic treatment of any neuronal disease or disorder inwhich the provision of a healthy neuron and/or a neuron expressing adesirable gene can alleviate some effects of the disease or disorder.Thus, it can have widespread uses, as will be apparent to the skilledartisan given the teachings herein.

The cells can also be used to produce neuronal growth factors fortherapy or use as research tools in cell differentiation. The cellsthemselves can also be used as a research tool to study cell growth anddifferentiation.

The present invention is more particularly described in the followingExamples which are intended as illustrative only since numerousmodifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilledin the art.

EXAMPLES

The present invention is more particularly described in the followingExamples which are intended as illustrative only since numerousmodifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilledin the art.

Example 1

Microdissection and Dissociation of SVZa Cells

A method was devised to microdissect the SVZa from parasagittal sectionsof the newborn rat brain. To harvest SVZa cells, P0-P1 Sprague-Dawleypups were anesthetized on ice, decapitated and their heads placed incold sterile Ham's F-10 medium (Sigma). After removing the skull, thebrain was placed in fresh medium and bisected at the midline. Under thedissecting microscope approximately 2 mm thick parasagittal sectionswere taken from the midline of the hemispheres and the SVZamicrodissected as illustrated in FIG. 1. The SVZa is the dorsolateralportion of the anterior-most extent of the region surrounding theventricles. It is anterior and dorsal to the striatum. The SVZa can bedistinguished from the surrounding structures by its position relativeto the ventricle as well as by its coloration and texture. SVZa is whiteand more opaque than the overlying corpus callosum because it is so celldense relative to the corpus callosum. The SVZa also appears more denseand uneven because of the cell density. In the neonatal rat, the SVZacan be found at approximately 2.0 mm anterior to bregma, 1.0 mm lateralto the midline and 2.0 mm deep to the pial surface.

Pieces of SVZa tissue from several (7-12) pups were pooled in a steriletest tube containing approximately 5 ml of Hank's balanced salt solution(HBSS). The pieces were incubated for 20 min at 37° C. in a 0.1% trypsinand 0.01% DNase in HBSS and washed with medium containing 0.04% DNase inHBSS. The last wash volume was brought up to 5 μl per dissected tissuepiece, resulting in 10⁵-10⁶ cells/ml. To achieve relatively evendissociation into single cells and small clumps, the tissue wasthoroughly triturated.

Before transplantation or culture, cell viability was determined usingthe fluorescent FDA/PI (fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide) methodproviding positive identification of living (green) and dead (red)cells. A viability of 80-95% has been routinely obtained from thefreshly prepared cell suspensions.

Example 2

Cell labelling in vitro

In order to visualize cells transplanted into a host brain, the cellscan be labelled with the lipophilic membrane bound dye, PKH26, whichfluoresces red with a 551 nm excitation and 567 nm emission, can be usedto label the dissociated SVZa cells immediately prior totransplantation. For the SVZa cells, the freshly dissociated cellsuspension was labelled with PKH26 (4 M dye in diluent C, Sigma) for 3-5min. Virtually all cells become intensely labeled.

In some experiments, BrdU (5 mg BrdU/ml of 0.007 N NaOH in 0.9% NaCl), acell proliferation marker, has been used to label dissociated SVZa cellsprior to transplantation. Using this labelling method, dividing cellscan be visualized after transplantation according to the proceduredescribed by Menezes and Luskin J. Neurosci. 14:5399 (1994).Specifically, bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was added to the culture media,and then 1 to 24 hours later the cultures were fixed as described aboveand stained with antibodies to BrdU to reveal the presence of labeledcells. After fixation, the cultures were washed with 0.01 M PBS andtreated with 2N HCI at 60° C. to fragment the DNA followed by acidneutralization in 0.01 M borate buffer, pH 8.3. After a thorough washwith PBS and application of blocking serum (10% normal goat serum with0.01% Triton X-100 in 0.01 M PBS), the cultures were incubated overnightwith a monoclonal antibody to BrdU (a-BrdU, Accurate, N.Y.), at 4° C.using a 1:500 dilution. Afterwards the cultures were rinsed with 0.1 MPBS and incubated with a rhodamine conjugated goat anti-rat secondaryantibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch, PA) at a 1:200 dilution for I hour atroom temperature, washed in 0.1 M PBS and coverslipped using Vectashield(Vector, Calif.). BrdU-positive cells display a red fluorescent nucleus.

Example 3

Cell culture

The isolated SVZa cells in culture are essentially all neuronal, i.e.,they are immunoreactive when stained with neuron-specific markers. Toascertain the phenotype of the harvested and dissociated SVZa cells,they were plated on uncoated glass microscope slides or poly-D-lysine orpolyornithine coated glass slides and cultured in either full strengthHam's F10 medium (Sigma) or Dulbecco's minimal essential medium DMEM(Sigma) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum or 1:1 ratio of Ham's F10medium:DMEM, at 37° C. in 7% CO₂. Specifically, following dissociation,the cells were centrifuged at 700 rpm for 7 min, the pellet redispersedin new medium and the number of cells estimated using a hemacytometer.Approximately 3.32×10³ cells were added to each well of the glasschamber slides (LabTek 16 well). Each well was coated with 10 μg/ml ofpoly-D-lysine (P-7280, Sigma) for 1 h at 37° C. in the incubator, rinsed3 times with distilled water and air dried in the culture hood.Alternatively, the cells were plated on 10 μg/ml of mouse laminin(23017-015, Gibco), on 500 μg/ml poly-L-ornithine (P-3655, Sigma) or ona combination of both.

One to eight days later the SVZa cultures were fixed for 20 min in 4%paraformaldehyde and 0.12 M sucrose in 0.1 M PBS, rinsed in cold PBS,permeabilized with 100% ethanol, rehydrated in an ethanol series andrinsed in PBS. After incubation in 50 mM glycine and three rinses incold PBS, blocking serum (0.5% normal goat serum and 0.01% Triton X-100in 0.1 M PBS) was applied for 1 hour. Cells were incubated overnightwith a 1:500 dilution of the mouse monoclonal antibody TuJ1, aneuron-specific antibody recognizing class III β-tubulin (Lee et al.,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 87:7195 (1990)); supplied by Dr. A. Frankfurter,University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.) and a rabbit polyclonalantibody (GFAP; Dako) to glial fibrillary acidic protein (Bignami etal., Brain Res. 43:429 (1972)) at a dilution of 1:500. Cells were thenrinsed in 0.1 M PBS and incubated for an hour in a mixture of secondaryantibodies including fluorescein goat anti-mouse (Jackson, 1:100) andrhodamine goal anti-rabbit (Jackson, 1:200), washed in 0.1 M PBS, pH7.4, coverslipped using Vectashield (Vector, CA) and examined byepifluorescence microscopy.

After one day in vitro (1 DIV) all or nearly all of the cultured SVZacells stained with TuJ1. When viewed by bright-field and phasemicroscopy within the first few hours after plating, the vast majorityof cells adhered to the surface of the glass slide and some evenextended one or two processes from their cell bodies. This indicatesthat some of the plated cells began to differentiate almost immediatelyafter plating.

To ascertain definitively the identity of the microdissected cells priorto transplantation, cells were plated and stained for cell-type specificmarkers to characterize them. Characterizing the identity of the cellswas done to determine the purity of the dissected cells and whether themicrodissected cells contained progenitors for glia. As described above,the viability of the dissociated cells prior to plating was quite high;between 80-95 per cent. When viewed by bright-field and phase microscopywithin the first few hours after plating, the vast majority of cellsadhered to the surface of the glass and some even extended one or twoprocesses from their cell bodies. This indicates that some of thecultured cells began to differentiate almost immediately after plating.TuJ1, an antibody that recognizes neuron-specific class III β-tubulin(Lee et al., Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. 87:7195 (1990)), was used to identifycells with a neuronal phenotype and an antibody to GFAP to distinguishastrocytes, a cell type commonly derived from other regions of theneonatal subventricular zone (Privat, Int. Rev. Cytol. 40:281 (1975);Levison and Goldman, Neuron 10:201 (1993); Luskin and McDermott, Glia11:211 (1994)).

After 24 hours in culture, the majority of the cultured cells eitheroccurred in small clusters containing 2-4 cells or as individual cellswith a bipolar or occasionally multipolar morphology. Interestingly, theoverwhelming majority of clustered and individual cells exhibiteddistinct TuJ1 immunoreactivity, apparent in the somatic cytoplasm andcell processes. At this stage, GFAP-positive cells in the cultures wererarely seen. The result showed that the plated cells possess apronounced neuronal identity. This result also indicated that only theSVZa was included in the dissection. If this were not the case,GFAP-positive cells would be expected.

Cells were also stained at intermediate times up to 8 days in culture todiscern what proportion of the cells exhibit exclusively a neuronalphenotype. At 8 days, the cultured cells occurred in small clumps orwere loosely arranged and that the cells now extended numerousintermingling processes. Again, nearly all of the cells expressedprominent TuJ1 immunoreactivity. As in the short-term cultures, glia, assignified by GFAP-immunoreactivity, represented less than 5% of allcultured cells. These findings demonstrated that the region of the SVZawhich contains a seemingly pure population of neuronal progenitor cellscan be isolated.

Since many types of neurons exhibit substrate-dependent processoutgrowth, the ability of SVZa-derived cells to extend processes wastested on different substrates. SVZa cells were found to extendprocesses on poly-D-lysine at 10 μg/ml and on poly-L-ornithine (or onpoly-D-L-ornithine) and exhibited monopolar, bipolar and multipolarmorphologies. However, in contrast to cerebellar granule neurons, on 10μg/ml laminin, SVZa cells did not sprout.

Another unexpected property of the cultured SVZa cells is that theyproliferate in culture. This was surprising because most cellsexpressing neuron-specific cell markers are post-mitotic cells (Moody etal., J. Comp. Neurol. 279:567 (1989); Menezes and Luskin, J. Neurosci.14:5399 (1994). Furthermore, it is often difficult to establishconditions under which cells giving rise to neurons can divide inculture (Reynolds and Weiss, Science 255:1707 (1992). Not only did thecultured SVZa cells divide immediately after plating, but they alsodivided several days after they have been cultured.

To demonstrate that cultured SVZa cells undergo division, the cellproliferation marker bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was added to the culturemedia, and then 1 to 24 hours later the cultures were fixed as describedabove and stained with antibodies to BrdU to reveal the presence oflabeled cells. After fixation, the cultures were washed with 0.01 M PBSand treated with 2N HCI at 60° C. to fragment the DNA followed by acidneutralization in 0.01 M borate buffer, pH 8.3. After a thorough washwith PBS and application of blocking serum (10% normal goat serum with0.01% Triton X-100 in 0.01 M PBS), the cultures were incubated overnightwith a monoclonal antibody to BrdU (α-BrdU, Accurate, NY), at 4° C.using a 1:500 dilution. Afterwards the cultures were rinsed with 0.1 MPBS and incubated with a rhodamine conjugated goat anti-rat secondaryantibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch, PA) at a 1:200 dilution for 1 hour atroom temperature, washed in 0.1 M PBS and coverslipped using Vectashield(Vector, CA). BrdU-positive cells display a red fluorescent nucleus.

Example 4

Homotopic transplantation of SVZa cells

To investigate the migratory behavior of homotopically transplantedSVZa-derived cells, dissociated donor rat SVZa cells were implanted inthe neonatal SVZa of a rat host. The purpose of the experiment was todetermine if transplanted cells are able to read the same guidance cuesand attain the same laminar distribution in the host brain asunmanipulated SVZa-derived cells. Dissociated SVZa cells rather thanexplants of tissue were transplanted to facilitate the integration ofthe transplanted cells in the host brain.

In order to analyze the migratory behavior of homotopically transplantedSVZa cells, the distribution of transplanted cells at 3 postimplantationtime periods was examined: short survivals (after 1 week or less),intermediate survivals (after 2 to 3 weeks) and long survivals (4 weeksor longer). The experiment was performed to find out if the distributionof the transplanted cells matched that of the unmanipulated cells at thevarious time points chosen for study. From our in vivo studies in whichPKH26 was directly injected into the SVZa to label its cells, the timeperiods chosen for analysis correspond to when SVZa-derived cells wouldoccur predominantly in the pathway, subependymal zone of the olfactorybulb and overlying granule cell layer, and when they are in their finalpositions in the granule cell and glomerular layers.

Short-term Survival

To compare the overall distribution and dynamics of cell movement byunmanipulated SVZa-derived cells to that of transplanted SVZa cells,dissociated PKH26-labeled SVZa cells were injected into the host SVZa.To visualize PKH26 labelled cells in vivo, animals were perfused with 4%paraformaldehyde, their brains removed, and sectioned on a Vibratome.Serial 100 μm sections were mounted and examined by fluorescencemicroscopy for PKH26-labeled cells. The subsequent position andmorphology of the cells were examined within one week aftertransplantation.

Examination of host brains 1 day after transplantation revealed that theinjection site was usually centered in the SVZa and that it usuallycontained a high density of PKH26-labeled cells. At the injection sitethe red fluorescing PKH26-labeled cells were small and round. Thesecells usually occurred as individual cells or in small clumps,resembling freshly dissociated cells.

The path of migration demonstrated by transplanted SVZa cells matchesprecisely the path followed by unmanipulated SVZa-derived cells. Itconstitutes a long pathway connecting the SVZa to the center of theolfactory bulb measuring several millimeters. At progressively longertimes after transplantation the distribution of labeled cells extendedfurther from the site of implantation.

By two days after transplantation, a continuous stream of cells wasobserved coming from the rostral wall of the anterior horn of thelateral ventricle (SVZa) to the vertical limb of the pathway. By fourdays after transplantation the labeled cells were in the horizontal armof the pathway, and some cells reached the central part of the olfactorybulb. At the end of the first week after transplantation, migratingcells were found evenly distributed throughout the subependymal layerextending from the SVZa to the middle of the olfactory bulb. Moreover,as found for the unmanipulated SVZa-derived cells, the transplantedcells were strictly confined to the well-defined pathway characterizedby a region of high cell density. This demonstrates that thetransplanted PKH26labeled SVZa cells faithfully acknowledge theboundaries of the migratory pathway and do not deviate from it.

Fluorescence microscopy revealed that the majority of transplantedPKH26-labeled cells have a round soma, and that some have a relativelyshort and thick process extending toward the olfactory bulb. Within thesubependymal zone of the olfactory bulb, many transplanted cells have anoval or spindle-shaped soma with a clear, unlabeled nucleus. In contrastto the unmanipulated SVZa-derived cells, at this stage only a low numberof dye-labeled cells revealed processes. One possibility to account forthe differential labeling of SVZa-derived cells is that perhaps thePKH26 does not label the transplanted cells in their entiretyAlternatively, perhaps some transplanted cells lack fully developedprocesses In this case the transplanted cells may be able to reach thebulb by becoming incorporated into the stream of unmanipulatedSVZa-derived cells which are also traveling to the olfactory bulb.

Intermediate Survival

Distribution of transplanted cells in the migratory pathway and granulecell layer of the olfactory bulb. By two weeks after transplantationsome of the transplanted cells had advanced into the granule cell layerof the olfactory bulb. It appeared as though the labeled cells had movedfrom the subependymal layer of the bulb into the overlying granule celllayer. Concomitantly, there was a striking reduction in the proportionof transplanted cells in the more caudal parts (vertical limbs) of themigratory pathway. By three weeks after transplantation a greaterproportion the donor cells had entered the granule cell layer, leavingfewer in the subependymal zone and pathway distal to the olfactory bulb.

When the transplanted cells turned radially from the subependymal zonetowards the granule cell layer, some of them began to differentiate intogranule cells, revealing two PKH26-labeled processes. The transplantedcells within the granule cell layer, which presumably are undergoingdifferentiation, had the characteristic bipolar morphology of maturing,unmanipulated granule cells. The range of mature and immaturemorphologies seen among the PKH2labeled cells 2-3 weeks after homotopictransplantation indicates that the cells are at various stages ofdifferentiation. In fact, some of the PKH26labeled cells in the granulecell layer appeared to be still en route to the glomerular layer,judging by their spindle-shaped cell soma which is characteristic ofmigrating neurons.

In some experiments BrdU incorporation was used to label SVZa cellsbefore transplantation. BrdU-labeled cells were visualized according tothe procedure described by Menezes and Luskin J. Neurosci 14:5399(1994). In brief, brains were perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde and thencryoprotected overnight in 20% sucrose in 0.1 M phosphate bufferedsaline (PBS). The brains were embedded in Tissue Tek O.C.T. Compound,sagittally sectioned on a cryostat at 18-20 μm and mounted on slidesbefore processing for the presence of BrdU. The sections were washedwith 0.01 M PBS and treated with 2N HCI at 60° C. to fragment the DNAfollowed by acid neutralization in 0.01 M borate buffer, pH 8.3. After athorough wash with PBS and application of blocking serum (10% normalgoat serum with 0.01% Triton X-100 in 0.01 M PBS), the sections wereincubated overnight with a monoclonal antibody to BrdU (α-BrdU,Accurate, NY), at 4° C. using a 1:500 dilution. Afterwards the sectionswere rinsed with 0.1 M PBS and incubated with a rhodamine conjugatedgoat anti-rat secondary antibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch, PA) at a 1:200dilution for 1 hour at room temperature, washed in 0.1 M PBS andcoverslipped using Vectashield (Vector, CA). BrdU-positive cells displaya red fluorescent nucleus. The distribution of trans-plantedBrdU-labeled cells matched the distribution of PKH26-labeled cells whenexamined after the same survival period. Two weeks aftertransplantation, fluorescence microscopy revealed the presence ofintensely labeled BrdU-positive cells predominantly in the portion ofthe migratory pathway close to the olfactory bulb (horizontal limb) andin the subependymal zone of the bulb, although a few had advanced intothe overlying granule cell layer. Thus, even though the BrdU labelingdoes not reveal the precise morphology of the transplanted cells, itclearly reveals their position.

Long Survival

Both PKH26 and BrdU labeling procedures were used to unequivocallyidentify the transplanted SVZa-derived cells. In particular, there wereconcerns that over time the PKH26 dye intensity may diminish. Therefore,most conclusions were based on the analysis of BrdU-labeled cells.

Previous studies showed that four weeks after an injection of retrovirusinto the SVZa that the SVZa-derived cells have achieved their finallaminar distribution (Luskin, Neuron 11:173 (1993)). In theseexperiments, a similar laminar distribution of trans-planted cells wasfound. When compared with the intermediate survival, significantlyhigher numbers of transplanted cells were distributed throughout thegranule cell layer. Another group of cells, most likely periglomerularcells, were found encircling the glomeruli. A few transplanted cellsstill occupied the rostral half of the subependymal layer of theolfactory bulb 4 weeks after transplantation. Thus, the sequentialchanges in the migratory pattern of unmanipulated SVZa cells seems to bematched by the homotopically transplanted cells. This suggests that theyare able to discern the same set of guidance cues.

Quantitative analyses showed that the ratio between labeled cells in theglomerular layer and granule cell layer after transplantation wasidentical to what occurs in the unmanipulated brain (Luskin, Neuron11:173, (1993)). Seventy-five percent of the transplanted cells ended upin the granule cell layer or adjacent to it and the other twenty-fivepercent were found in the glomerular layer of the olfactory bulb.Collectively, these findings suggest that transplanted SVZa-derivedcells are not only able to adopt the same migratory route as theircounterparts originating from the host SVZa but that they are also ableto acquire the same laminar distribution between the granule cell andglomerular layers in the olfactory bulb.

Example 5

Heterotopic transplantation of SVZa cells into neonatal cerebellumventricular zone of embryonic telencephalon, or areas adjacent to theanterior portion of the subventricular zone

To make injections into the external granular layer of the neonatalcerebellum, a small incision through the skull overlying the midbrainand the hindbrain can be made and labeled SVZa cells can be injectedusing a Hamilton syringe into a position just beneath the meninges (Gaoand Hatten, Science 260:367 (1993)).

To make injections into the ventricular zone of the embryonictelencephalon the procedure described by Dunnett and Bjorklund inTransplantation: Neural Transplantation—A Practical Approach, OxfordUniv. Press, Oxford (1992), can be followed. In brief, under deepanesthesia the abdominal wall of a pregnant dam can be incised. Theuterine horns can be exposed and each fetus transilluminated with thefiberoptic tube. A pipette containing labeled SVZa cells can be insertedthrough the uterine wall, amniotic sac, and the fetal skull into theventricular zone overlying the cerebral cortex.

To investigate the behavior and distribution of SVZa cells transplantedinto areas adjacent to the anterior portion of the subventricular zone,SVZa cells were transplanted into position lying either posterior orlateral to the SVZa of the host. Retrovirus injections had shown thatonly when the injections were within the SVZa did the labeled cells endup in the olfactory bulb and become neurons (Luskin, Neuron 11:173(1993), Luskin and McDermott, Glia 11:211 (1994)). Of the four animalsused in this experiment, no labeled cells were found in the migratorypathway or in the olfactory bulb following the nonSVZa injections,confirming that SVZa provides certain positional information to guideSVZa-derived cells to the olfactory bulb.

The phenotypic identity of unmanipulated SVZa-derived cells in themature (>6 weeks) olfactory bulb has been analyzed. The phenotype ofSVZa-derived cells can be classified according to their morphology(Pinching and Powell, J. Cell Sci. 9:305, 347, 379 (1971)) and theneurotransmitter candidates they contain (Bartolomei and Greer,Neurosci. Abst. 19:125 (1993). Halasz et al. Brain Res. 167:221 (1979)has shown that essentially all granule cells contain GABA, as do manyperiglomerular cells. Periglomerular cells are also known to expresstyrosine hydroxylase, the rate limiting step in the synthesis ofdopamine (McLean and Shipley, J. Neurosci. 8:3658 (1988). Moreover, Gallet al. J. Comp. Neurol. 266:307 (1987), and Kosaka et al. Brain Res.343:166 (1985) have independently shown the colocalization of GABA andTH in subsets of periglomerular cells. Furthermore, since CelioNeurosci. 35:375 (1990), Halasz et al. Neurosci. Letters 61:103 (1985)and Kosaka et al. Brain Res. 411:373 (1987) reported that virtually allperiglomerular cells are immunoreactive for calbindin(28K-vitamin-D-dependent calcium binding protein), calbindinimmunoreactivity can be determined in unmanipulated and transplantedBrdU-labeled SVZa cells situated in the glomerular layer expresscalbindin. Furthermore, the phenotype acquired by heterotopicallytransplanted SVZa-derived cells in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex,and that acquired by ventricular zone and EGL cells in the olfactorybulb can be examined.

Example 6

Double-Labeling

Following transplantation of BrdU-labeled SVZa cells into the SVZa, asdescribed above, procedures have been devised to reveal the presence ofBrdU and transmitter candidates or their synthetic enzymes using doublelabel precedures on 20 μm cryostat sections. Following perfusion with 4%paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) brains were removed,equilibrated in 20-30 % sucrose in 0.1 M phosphate buffer overnight andthen cut sagittally or coronally at a thickness of 20 μm on a cryostat.Sections were washed in 0.1 M PBS, treated with 2N HCI at 45-50° C. for15 minutes and subsequently rinsed with 0.1 M borate buffer, pH 8.3 for15 minutes. Sections were then incubated in 10% normal goat serum in PBSfor 30 minutes and then overnight in a mixture of primary antibodiesincluding anti-BrdU (1:500; Accurate, NY) and an antibody to either GABA(1:500; Sigma), TH (1:1000, Eugene Tech, NJ) or calbindin (Sigma, 1:1000dilution). The next day the sections were rinsed in 0.1 M PBS andincubated for 2 hours in an appropriate mixture of secondary antibodiesthat contain goat anti-rat IgG conjugated to rhodamine to visualize BrdUimmunoreactive cells and FITC conjugated secondaries to identify one ofthe neurotransmitter candidates. Lastly the sections were rinsed in 0.1M PBS and coverslipped.

Sections were examined with fluorescence microscopy to identify labeledSVZa cells, and their neurotransmitter phenotype and laminar positiondetermined. The SVZa-labeled cells were evident by their redfluorescence and the transmitter labeling, when present in the samecells by green fluorescence of both unmanipulated and transplantedcells. The percentage of SVZa-derived GABAergic, TH-immunoreactive andcalbindin-positive cells were determined for unmanipulated cells in eachlayer of the olfactory bulb.

Previous studies have shown that the SVZa-derived cells are neuronsbased on their laminar distribution and morphological features. Tofurther characterize the SVZa-derived neurons in the olfactory bulb,cell-type specific markers for transmitter phenotype were used. At P20,when most of the SVZa-derived cells have reached their final destinationfollowing an SVZa injection of BrdU at P2, BrdU-labeled cells werelocalized using immunohistochemistry and their neurotransmitterphenotype was assessed using antibodies against gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA) and the dopamine synthesizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH).Using simultaneous indirect immunofluorescence to detect the presence ofsingle- and double-labeled cells, 10% of the SVZa-derived cells werefound to be both BrdU- and TH-positive in the glomerular layer and thatapproximately 67% and 46% of the SVZa-derived cells in the granule celllayer and glomerular layer were GABAergic (GABA- and BrdU-positive),respectively. When analyzed at P20, 28% and 12 % of the periglomerularcells, that arose from a P2 injection of BrdU were TH- and GABA-positiverespectively, were found. Similarly, at P20, 11% of the GABAergicneurons in the granule cell layer were generated on P2. These resultsindicate that the neonatal SVZa is a source of dopaminergic cellsdestined for the glomerular layer and also a source of GABAergic cellsfor the granule cell and glomerular layers.

The transmitter phenotype of unmanipulated SVZa-derived cells in theolfactory bulb can now be compared with the transmitter phenotypeexpressed by homotopically and heterotopically transplanted cells thatreach the olfactory bulb after implantation in the SVZa. This can allowdetermination of whether transplanted cells acquire the same transmitteridentity as unmanipulated SVZa-derived cells, or if transmittercandidates expressed by the heterotopically transplanted cells are morerepresentative of the transmitters they ordinarily express. If theheterotopically transplanted cells reach the periglomerular layer andexpress TH, then conclusions can be drawn that their identity has beenrespecified; dopamine is ordinarily expressed only by cells of thesubstantia nigra and olfactory bulb. The phenotype of unmanipulatedcells can be compared to the homotopically and/or heterotopicallytransplanted cells, i.e., those implanted in the striatum.

Example 7

Heterotopic transplantation of cortical and cerebellar cells intoneonatal SVZa

In additional experiments, it was investigated whether newly-generatedneurons, which usually migrate along radial glia, could navigate thehighly restricted path adhered to by SVZa derived cells that appears notto be guided by radial glia. Cerebellar external granule layer (EGL)cells (postnatal) and ventricular zone (VZ) cells (prenatal) wereharvested for transplantation. In brief, EGL cells were removed bysuction on the surface of the cerebellum or by microdissection and thentrypsin and DNase were used to dissociate the cells as described above.To harvest progenitor cells of the E16 VZ, a modified procedure used byMcConnell, Brain Res. Rev. 13:1 (1988), was employed. Dissociated cellsfrom the VZ of the embryonic day 15 to 17 rat telencephalon or from theEGL of the postnatal day 5 (P5) or P6 cerebellum, were labeled witheither the cell proliferation marker BrdU or the fluorescent lipophilicdye PHK26 and stereotaxically implanted into the SVZa of P0-P2 rats.Results showed that heterotopically engrafted VZ cells remained at thesite of infection. In contrast, heterotopically transplanted EGL 5 cellstraversed the migratory pathway, although most did not migrate away fromthe middle of the olfactory bulb (OB).

Example 8

Heterotopic transplantation of SVZa cells into the striatum

To maximize the number of labeled SVZa cells obtained fortransplantation, P0-P1 donor pups were given 2-3 intraperitonealinjections (6 hours apart) of a BrdU stock solution (5 mg BrdU/ml of0.007 N NaOH in 0.9% saline; 0.3 ml/pup/injection). The last injectionwas given one hour before dissection of the donor tissue.

The SVZa cells were dissected and dissociated as described above and theviability of the cell suspension determined as described above. Aviability of about 80-95% was obtained, and the cell concentrationranged from 2.9×10⁴ to 5.4×10⁶ cells/ml. The dissociated cells werelabeled with PKH26 by incubating the freshly prepared cell suspension ina 4.0 μM solution of PKH26 dye and diluent C for 3-5 minutes accordingto the protocol provided by Sigma.

The dissociated and labeled SVZa cells were transplanted into thestriatum of P0-P2 pups that were anesthetized by hypothermia. To reducemovement and maximize the consistency of injection coordinates, the headof the pup was placed on a Sylgard contoured mold. (To determine thecoordinates for targeting the P0-P2 striatum, PKH26 was directlyinjected into the brains of four P0-P1 pups. The range of coordinateswere chosen by comparing the results obtained from PKH26 injections aswell as from a few initial transplantation experiments usingimplantation of labeled SVZa cells.) The injections were made between0.8-2.0 mm anterior to bregma (A-P) and 1.2-2.3 mm lateral to thesagittal sinus (M-L) and 2.3-3.5 mm deep to the pial surface (depth). Wedemonstrated that injections within the following range of coordinatesA-P, 1.0-1.5 mm; M-L, 1.8-2.3 mm and depth, 2.5-3.5 mm, were most likelyto target the striatum (Table 1) and were in agreement with those usedby Abrous et al. (1). An incision was made through the skin overlyingthe sagittal suture to expose the skull. A small hole was made throughthe skull centered around 1.8-2.3 mm lateral to the sagittal suture and1.0-1.5 mm anterior to the bregma. A 10 μl Hamilton syringe, containingthe SVZa cells, attached to a micromanipulator, was loweredapproximately 2.5-3.5 mm from the pial surface and 2-4 μl of the labeledcell suspension was injected into the striatum. Followingtransplantation, the overlying skin was repositioned and sealed withsurgical glue and the pup was placed under a heat lamp for recoverybefore transferring it back to its home cage. Following transplantationthe pups were allowed to survive for various time periods before theywere perfused. At the time of perfusion the pups were anesthetized withether and perfused transcardially with 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 Mphosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The brains were removed, blocked in thesagittal plane, and post-fixed in the same fixative for at least 1 hbefore washing with 0.1 M PBS. The BrdU and PKH26-labeled cells weredetected as described above.

TABLE 1 Coordinates for implantation of SVZa cells and their subsequentdistribution Labeled cells: Rat Age at Injection site in striatum/ PKH26Num- Implan- Survival (mm) along striatal or ber tation (days) A-P M-LDepth boundary BrdU  1 P1 3 0.9 1.8 3.1 +/− BrdU  2* P1 5 0.8 1.7 2.4−/− PKH26  3 P1 13 2.0 1.7 2.3 −/+ PKH26  4 P0 13 1.5 2.0 2.9 +/− PKH26 5 P2 13 1.0 2.0 3.3 +/+ BrdU  6* P2 13 1.0 2.0 3.2 −/− BrdU  7* P2 131.0 2.0 3.2 −/− BrdU  8 P1 18 1.2 2.0 3.3 +/+ BrdU  9* P1 19 1.0 1.7 2.5−/− PKH26 10 P0 20 1.2 2.0 2.5 −/+ PKH26 11* P1 20 2.0 1.5 3.1 −/− PKH2612* P1 21 1.5 1.2 3.2 −/− PKH26 13 P0 26 1.0 2.0 3.0 +/+ PKH26 14 P1 261.0 2.0 3.0 +/+ PKH26 15 P1 26 1.0 2.0 3.2 +/− PKH26 16 P1 26 1.0 2.02.9 +/− BrdU 17 P1 26 0.8 1.2 3.3 +/− BrdU 18 P1 28 1.2 1.5 3.3 −/+ BrdU19 P1 41 1.2 2.0 3.4 +/+ BrdU *Coordinates for implantation of labeledSVZa cells and their subsequent distribution. This table lists thecoordinates used to determine the position of the striatum in theneonatal brain and the ensuing distribution of the transplanted SVZacells at the time of perfusion (survival days). Postnatal day 0-2 pupswere injected with PKH26- or BrdU- labeled P0-P2 SVZa cells. Thereference points for the injection site coordinates were #as follows:1.0-1.5 mm anterior to bregma (A-P); 1.8-2.3 mm lateral to the sagittalsuture (M-L); and 2.5-3.5 mm deep to the pial surface (depth). Thepresence or absence of labeled cells in the striatum or along thestriatal boundary was scored as (+) or (−) respectively. Of the 19animals that received a transplant of labeled SVZa cells, 13 animalswere used for detailed analysis; the transplant was not placed in thestriatum #of the six brains (asterisk) excluded from furtherconsideration.

Appearance of Cells at Injection Site

Three days after transplanting SVZa cells into P1 striatum BrdU-labeledSVZa cells were readily identified in the middle of the striatum and insome cases also along the injection tract running through the corpuscallosum. The presence of labeled cells along the injection tract isprobably due to the backflow of the cell suspension or because of asmall amount of leakage of the labeled cells during insertion orwithdrawal of the Hamilton syringe. The results show complete and heavystaining of the nuclei of the labeled cells soon after transplantation.Many of the BrdU-labeled cells were aggregated near blood vessels. Inaddition, at this short survival time cells were usually seen adjacentto each other, although a few cells were more dispersed within thestriatum and had evidently undergone migration.

Patterns of Migration of Donor SVZa cells in the Host Striatum

Ordinarily at P0-P2 (the time when the SVZa cells were dissected fortransplantation), the unmanipulated SVZa cells migrate severalmillimeters to the subependymal layer in the middle of the olfactorybulb. By 4 weeks they attain their final position in the granule cell orglomerular layers. The distribution of the labeled SVZa cells in thehost striatum was therefore examined at 2 to 4 weeks aftertransplantation to investigate whether the SVZa cells had dispersed fromtheir site of injection. Of the 19 animals, 15 animals which receivedSVZa transplants at the following range of coordinates A-P, 1.0-1.5 mm;M-L, 1.8-2.3 mm and depth, 2.5-3.5 mm were analyzed. Of the 15 animalsinjected, 2 animals did not show labeled cells in the striatum or alongthe striatal boundary. Instead, the BrdU-labeled cells were seen in thedorsal aspect of the corpus callosum indicating that the injection sitewas too superficial. Therefore the brains of the remaining 13 animalswere analyzed. Three patterns of distribution of the transplanted SVZacells were observed: (i) labeled cells were confined to the striatum;(ii) labeled cells were situated along the striatal boundary (betweenthe striatum and the corpus callosum) and (iii) labeled cells werepresent in both of the above-mentioned locations. A striking finding ofthis study is that the injection site could not be demarcated 2-4 weekspost transplantation in any of the cases studied; nor were glial cellsobserved around the transplants. In addition, although SVZa cells wereseen along the striatal boundary, they were never seen to cross it andmigrate into the surrounding cerebral cortex.

Appearance and Distribution of SYZa Cells Restricted to Striatum.

The labeled SVZa cells were identified in the striatum in 5 out of 13animals (Table 1) analyzed. In each brain the SVZa cells within thestriatum occurred as individual cells or in small groups of usually nomore than 2-4 cells. Large, closely packed aggregates of cells werenever observed 2-4 weeks after transplantation, indicating that thecells had migrated away from each other. The labeled cells werefrequently found in close proximity to blood vessels. Although thelabeled cells were present through the striatum, in the majority of thebrains analyzed the labeled SVZa cells were situated closer to thelateral ventricle than to the lateral edge of the striatum.

Amongst the transplanted cells labeled with PKH26, small clumps of 2-4cells were seen extending processes into the striatum. The BrdU-labeledSVZa cells located in the striatum 2-4 weeks following transplantationwere not heavily stained as cells examined 3 days post transplantationThis suggested that the SVZa cells had undergone cell division aftertransplantation into the striatum. Our observations indicate that theheterotopically transplanted SVZa cells retained their capacity toconcurrently divide and migrate.

Unlike other studies in which cells were transplanted into the striatum,glial cells were rarely seen associated with the transplants. Thepresence of glial cells, a sign that the host striatum is reacting tothe local trauma produced by the implantation procedure, was absent inthe SVZa transplants and could be attributed to the younger age of thedonor and host animals used. The absence of the glial barrier could bepartially responsible for the dispersion of the transplanted SVZa cellswithin the striatum. A possible reason the SVZa cells did not provoke animmune rejection by the host tissue could be because the SVZa cells usedfor transplantation were a substantially homogeneous population ofneuronal progenitor cells. Neurons do not have antigen presentingcapability and thus are not able to initiate an immune response. Glialcells, the early targets in a rejection process, are generally absentfrom the transplanted SVZa cell suspension.

Appearance and Distribution of SVZa Cells Restricted to the StriatalBoundary.

Even though similar coordinates were used for implantation in all theanimals, the distribution of transplanted SVZa cells varied. In somecases (3 out of 15) following transplantation, the PKH26- orBrdU-labeled cells were identified only along the striatal boundaryadjacent to the corpus callosum and not within the striatum proper(Table 1). Labeled SVZa cells were present along the dorsal, lateral andventro-lateral aspects of the striatal boundary 2-4 weeks afterimplantation. The outlining of the contour of the striatum by labeledcells suggests that they had arrived at their position by migration,rather than being placed at the borders of the striatum simply as aresult of the injection. Various intensities of BrdU staining wasobserved among the labeled SVZa cells, which were observed eitherindividually or in small groups. The PKH26-labeled cells seen along thestriatal boundary did not appear to have any prominent morphologicalfeatures; they were often round without any processes similar to otherindividual cells. This indicates that the cells at the border of thestriatum may not undergo differentiation as they do when situated in thestriatum.

Appearance and Distribution of SVZa Cells within the Striatum and alongthe Striatal Boundary.

In 5 out of the 13 animals labeled cells were seen both within thestriatum and along the striatal boundary (Table 1) 2-4 weeks followingtransplantation. Also various intensities of BrdU staining were observedamongst the labeled cells. In the majority of the cases the SVZa cellslocated within the striatum, were in closer proximity to the striatalboundary and labeled SVZa cells were distributed all along the striataledge between the striatum and the corpus callosum as describedpreviously.

The relationship of the Transplated SVZa Cells to the Lateral CorticalStream.

Of significance is the fact that in 8 of the 13 animals (62%) the SVZacells were present along the striatal boundary. This region along thestriatal boundary corresponds to the lateral cortical stream ofmigration described by Bayer and Altman in Neocortical Development, NewYork:Raven Press, Ltd., pp. 116-127 (1991) which is present prenatallyand is used by ventricular zone-derived cells of the developing cortexto reach the lateral and ventro-lateral cortical plate. The presence oftransplanted SVZa cells distributed along this curved pathway, suggeststhat the SVZa cells are able to decipher guidance cues, used by othermigrating cells.

Example 9

Transfection of Neuronal Progenitor Cells

Cells were harvested from the SVZa, dissociated, and plated in 16 wellchamber slides in Ham's F10 medium with 1% penicillin/streptomycin and10% fetal calf serum. Between 3×10⁴ and 8×10⁴ cells per well were added.Either the next day or several hours later, the cells were infected withretrovirus (either BAG, which expresses βgal in the cytoplasm at1.04×10⁶ particles/ml, or nls-lacZ retroviral vector, which expressesβgal in the nucleus [gift of Dr. Gary Nolan; Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA84:6795-6799 (1987)], at 1.54×10⁶ particles/ml) in varying amounts (30μl-200 μl) and 0.6 μl/well of a 1 mg/ml solution of polybrene was added.Cells were fixed a day later with 2% paraformaldehyde, 0.4%glutaraldehyde, 0.1 M PBS. The X-Gal incubation mixture (Luskin, Neuron11:173 (1993)) was added and the number of blue cells/total cells ineach dish was determined. Up to 4 % of the cells were blue, indicatingthey had been transfected or had inherited the transfected gene.

Example 10

Generation of Immortalized Clonal Cell lines from the SVZa

Primary cultures can be made at low density from dissociated SVZa fromnewborn rats. These cultures can then be transfection with a retroviruscontaining both the temperature sensitive SV40 Large T and neo^(r)genes. After the infection, G418 (a neomycin analog) can be added to thegrowth medium in order to select for cells that have integrated theretrovirus thus acquiring neomycin resistance. G418 selection can bemaintained until colonies form on the dishes. After these colonies form,each can be isolated and expanded in separate dishes to produce sublineshopefully consisting of mitotic clones of a single infected primarycell.

Southern analysis can be used to verify or disprove the clonality ofeach subline. It is important to establish clonal cell lines due to therandom nature of retroviral integration which may affect expression ofthe immortalizing Large T antigen. The SV40 Large T antigen cDNA can beused to probe several different restriction digests of genomic DNAisolated from each cell line. This can allow analysis of each sublinefor the length of the integrated construct, number of integration sites,and the clonal relationships between each line.

At the same time, each subline can be expanded in culture to demonstratethe ability to passage in vitro. As soon as enough cells are available,each subline can be frozen in order to preserve samples early in theirimmortalized life span.

To obtain cells from the SVZa, newborn (P0) Sprague-Dawley rat pupsanesthetized by hypothermia can be decapitated, and the brains can bedissected into ice-cold Ca²⁺/Mg2+ free HBBS. After removal of meninges,the anterior portion of the subventricular zone can be dissected underthe microscope (FIG. 1). This tissue can then be incubated in 0.15%trypsin in Eagle's Basal Medium for 20 minutes. Following thisincubation, the tissue can undergo aspiration with a fire-polishedPasteur pipette to generate a single cell suspension. Cells can then beplated at a low density in 1:1 DMEM:HAMS media supplemented with 10%Fetal Bovine Serum and 1% Penicillin/Streptomycin onto severalpoly-D-lysine coated 35 mm plastic culture dishes. The cells can begrown at 39° C. for 24 hours.

Twenty-four hours after plating the primary SVZa cultures, the cells canbe moved to 33° C., and the media can be replaced with the supernatantfrom the producer cell line containing the replication defectiveretrovirus encoding the ts SV40 Large T antigen. 8 μg/ml polybrene canalso be added to the cultures to facilitate retroviral entry into thecells. After 4 hours, the retroviral supernatant can be replaced withfresh DMEM/HAMS medium, and the cells can be kept at 33° C. Thefollowing day, 0.5 mg/ml G418, a neomycin analog, can be added to themedia in order to select for neomycin resistant cells. This selectionmedia can be changed every 3-5 days. As colonies form on the dishes,they can be isolated with cloning rings and transferred to separatewells in a 24 well plate. Each subline can then be expanded and passagedto provide cells for study. A subset of each line can also be frozen in10% DMSO in medium.

High molecular weight genomic DNA can be prepared from each cell line aspreviously described (Maniatis et al., Molecular Cloning (A LaboratoryManual), Cold Spring Harbor, Cold Spring Laboratories, 1982). 10 μg ofDNA can be cut with Xbal, EcoRI, and BgIII in separate reactions. Xbalcuts at both ends of the retroviral insert while both EcoRI and BgIIIcut only once within the construct. Then, the DNA can be sizefractionated on 0.8% agarose gels alongside DNA markers of known sizeand transferred to a nylon filter (GeneScreen Plus, Dupont) as describedby Southern, 1975. The filterbound DNA can then be hybridized to arandom primed SV40 Large T antigen probe under stringent conditions.

Throughout this application, various publications are referenced. Thedisclosures of these publications in their entireties are herebyincorporated by reference into this application in order to more fullydescribe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

Although the present process has been described with reference tospecific details of certain embodiments thereof, it is not intended thatsuch details should be regarded as limitations upon the scope of theinvention except as and to the extent that they are included in theaccompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An isolated cellular composition comprisinggreater than 90% mammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronal progenitor cellswhich, while capable of cell division, express a neuron-specific markerand which give rise to progeny which differentiate into neuronal cells.2. The composition of claim 1, wherein greater than 95% of themammalian, non-tumor derived neuronal progenitor cells express aneuronal marker and give rise to progeny which differentiate intoneuronal cells.
 3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the isolatedneuronal progenitor cells, without being first immortalized, divide forat least two generations.
 4. The composition of claim 1, wherein theneuronal progenitor cells are rat cells.
 5. The composition of claim 1,wherein the neuronal progenitor cells are human cells.
 6. Thecomposition of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the population ofneuronal progenitor cells, or their progeny, is transfected with anexogenous nucleic acid.
 7. The composition of claim 6, wherein theexogenous nucleic acid functionally encodes a biologically activemolecule.
 8. The composition of claim 7, wherein the exogenous nucleicacid functionally encodes a biologically active molecule that stimulatescell division or differentiation.
 9. The composition of claim 7, whereinthe exogenous nucleic acid functionally encodes a biologically activemolecule that functions in the synthesis of a neurotransmitter.
 10. Amethod of obtaining an isolated cellular composition comprising greaterthan 90% mammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronal progenitor cells whichexpress a neuronal marker and which give rise to progeny whichdifferentiate into neuronal cells, comprising isolating cells from theportion of a mammalian brain that is the equivalent of the anteriorportion of the subventricular zone at the dorsolateral portion of theanterior-most extent of the region surrounding the ventricle of aneonatal rat brain.
 11. An isolated cellular composition comprisinggreater than 50% mammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronal progenitor cellswhich express a neuron-specific marker and which give rise to progenywhich differentiate into neuronal cells.
 12. An isolated cellularcomposition of mammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronal progenitor cellsprepared by the method of claim
 10. 13. The isolated cellularcomposition of neuronal progenitor cells of claim 12, wherein saidmammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronal progenitor cells divide for atleast two generations without being first immortalized.
 14. The isolatedcellular composition of neuronal progenitor cells of claim 12, whereinsaid mammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronal progenitor cells are ratcells.
 15. The isolated cellular composition of neuronal progenitorcells of claim 12, wherein said mammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronalprogenitor cells are human cells.
 16. The isolated cellular compositionof neuronal progenitor cells of claim 12, wherein greater than 95% ofthe mammalian, non-tumor derived, neuronal progenitor cells express aneuronal marker and give rise to progeny which differentiate intoneuronal cells.